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It's hard to find a place in Ohio with 300 days/year of rain, you are out of luck. Portland is walkable, BUT not that walkable, life without a car is OK if you are one of many of Portland' bums, but it imposes severe limitations otherwise. One things Portland and Ohio have in common - finding a tolerable job is a matter of big luck for your average Joe (even before the bust). Severely developed/plowed Midwest cannot offer abundance of outdoor activities no matter where you go. Columbus is the closest to the less developed SE corner of Ohio, E. KY and WV. Columbus is the least industrial city of the 3, a hub for the undiluted yuppified crowd. Yet, you claim that you are not a "yuppie" who seeks things a typical "sensitive" and "aware" metrosexual yuppie seeks. All I can say good luck. You'll need tonnes of it to find a "sense of community" with people of different social, wealth & professional background.

You have to start to understand that cities (especially big cities) estrange&isolate people, whatever "sense of community" you'll find in a (big)city is 95% (I'll be generous) is "manufactured" and phony, Portland is not an exception. Small towns are just a tad better (frequently, much worse if you are an outsider). It always been that way. It's a price to pay for "civilization".

you mentioned "public transit" as something you require/desire. cleveland has a good transit system and is the largest/most extensive in the state. imo i think you will experience many positive things in cleveland (culture,people,urban and non-urban). try ohio-city and tremont neighborhoods. cleveland is on its way "back up" in many aspects.

That's funny. I am aiming to move away from Portland so I am checking out other cities. In fact I am excited about visiting a friend in Cleveland this summer who is going to show me the city. I am hoping it isn't anything like Portland.

I use to live in Portland. I would have to say nothing really in Ohio resembles Portland. I would try Pittsburgh if you are looking for outdoor stuff. Maybe Cincy too. At least that city has hills.

Yea, unlike Portland, which would be more like Columbus, we have an ACTUAL BODY OF WATER up here in Cleveland. With like ISLANDS and stuff in it.
And unlike Columbus (not sure about Portland) we have a river that people can actually USE. (I tease a friend that lives in Columbus because they have a BEAUTIFUL river... that is damed up like every ONE MILE. SO it's nice to LOOK at but you can't actually USE the damn thing.)

The answer is Cleveland. Cleveland is the most diverse city in Ohio, has the best food, is the most sophisticated and is a well kept secret. I lived right on Shaker Square for two years and really enjoyed the city. Very nice place!

The city that most resembles Portland is Pittsburgh. They are roughly the same population, both have a confluence of two rivers with tons of bridges, both have hills/mountains, both have easy access to the outdoors. Portland is more stunning ( I live here now) but Pittsburgh has lots to offer.

From Portland you can see the snow capped peaks of five volcanoes, you can drive 60 miles to Mt. Hood and ski or drive 60 miles the other way and put your foot in the Pacific Ocean. Also, the Columbia River is without a doubt the most beautiful river in the country. Plus, no deer ticks !

For me it's a tie between the Cleveland MSA and the Columbus MSA. I think you'll be able to find areas that you like in both.

If we're talking about size, technically Cincinnati is the largest metro in Ohio, but really it's Cleveland by far. Akron should be part of the Cleveland metro (they're bordering counties) and will finally be counted in the 2010 census which will boost the metro to 2.9 million. The NE Ohio region also has about 5.2 million people which is nearly 1/2 the population of the whole state. Columbus/Central Ohio is the fastest growing, although still not as fast as Portland.

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